Industries manufacturing C.sub.1 and C.sub.2 chlorohydrocarbons such as tetrachloroethylene (PCE), 1,2-dichloroethane (EDC), trichloroethylene (TCE), vinyl chloride (VCM), among others; toluenediisocyanate (TDI), 4,4 diisocyanodiphenyl methane (DME), fluorochemicals and fluoropolymers typically produce anhydrous hydrogen chloride as a by-product. When manufacturing fluorochemicals, generally via halogen exchange reactions, the resulting reaction product mixture is distilled thereby recovering anhydrous HCl, such as is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,450,414; 2,450,415; and 2,478,362 to Benning.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,641 discloses an electrochemical process in which anhydrous HCl is oxidized at the anode to dry Cl.sub.2 and protons; the protons are transported through a cation-transporting membrane, and reduced at the cathode to H.sub.2. Cooper et al., I&EC Fundamentals, Vol. 7, No. 3, August 1968, pages 400-409, disclose oxidizing HCl with O.sub.2 to produce Cl.sub.2 plus H.sub.2 O by using a microwave discharge. D. J. Serry et al., The Journal of Chemical Physics, V. 48, No. 9, (1968) pages 4315-4317 discloses dissociating HCl by using vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy. E. S. Fishburne, The Journal of Chemical Physics, V. 45, No. 11 (1966) pages 4053-4056 also discloses dissociation of hydrogen chloride. T. A. Jacobs et al., The Journal of Chemical Physics, V. 46, No. 5 (1967) pages 1958-1968 disclose the kinetics of hydrogen halides in shock waves.